Overview

Do you want to continue your training to become a psychodynamic counsellor or extend the age-range of clients with whom you can work? If so, our 2 year Psychodynamic Counselling course may be for you. You will need to have completed a full counselling diploma from another institution or our FdA/BA Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations (TCTO) A requirement of the course is that you are in personal therapy or counselling on a weekly basis.

Taught at our Colchester Campus, this course offers a professional qualification to work psychodynamically either with adults, or with children and adolescents. There are two streams for the different age-ranges but much of the course is taught jointly. You will gain a thorough theoretical and practical training, including a supervised placement, enabling you to qualify as a psychodynamic counsellor.

If the field of Psychodynamic Counselling is new to you and you have no prior experience, the 3 year version of this course is for you.

Why we're great.

A clinical training programme for professionals working either with adults or children and adolescents

Gain practical experience through placements in schools or local agencies

Acquire a professional qualification to work therapeutically with children and adolescents

Our expert staff

Our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies is internationally recognised as one of the leading departments for work that focuses on the role of the unconscious mind in mental health, as well as in culture and society generally. Our research and teaching is deeply grounded in knowledge deriving from clinical practice, to which our highest standards of academic thinking are then applied.

The department consistently achieves top ten rankings in the UK's research assessments, most recently in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. Being located within the UK’s leading university of the study of social sciences means you are surrounded by strong departments that fully support and enhance our work. This allows you to gain the opportunity to work with and be taught by senior clinicians and world-class scholars in their fields.

Specialist facilities

If you are studying within our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, you will have access to our extensive facilities to aid your learning and research. In particular, our Albert Sloman Library is well stocked with books, journals, electronic resources and major archives relevant to our work and, in addition, we have our own library of specialist books and journals.

We hold free evening Open Seminars on topics relevant to psychoanalysis which are open to students, staff and members of the public.

Your future

Our graduates go on to a number of different destinations, including further study and training in psychoanalysis, Jungian analysis, or psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Many of our students are already professionals, clinical and non-clinical, so return to their existing fields, either in jobs or further training, and use study with us to deepen their understanding of their work.

Entry requirements

UK entry requirements

A diploma or equivalent training in counselling.

A qualification in counselling from a different orientation or with a different age-group.

With your online application you must submit a personal statement; this should detail the reasons for wanting to study the course, including any relevant experience (work or voluntary) that may support your application.

You must also have a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check (including child and adult barred list check) and a Occupational Health Check - both of these are organised by the University.

A satisfactory Overseas Criminal Record Check/Local Police Certificate is also required, in addition to a DBS check, where you have lived outside of the UK in the last 5 years for 6 months or more.

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

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English language requirements

If English isn’t your first language, we require IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum component score of 5.5.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Structure

Example structure

Most of our courses combine compulsory and optional modules, giving you freedom to pursue your own interests. All of the modules listed below provide an example of what is on offer from the current academic year. Our Programme Specification provides further details of the course structure for the current academic year.

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.

Do you want to apply your theoretical understanding to psychodynamic counselling practice? You will develop your skills and deepen your capacity for clinical work. Examine key issues facing clients and learn how to work with them in a reflective and creative way.

Want to develop the personal capacities needed to be a psychodynamic practitioner? Take ownership of your learning by reflecting on your own experiences. Increase your awareness of the conscious and unconscious elements at work in your personal and professional life, and in relation to your conduct as a psychodynamic practitioner.

What qualitative and quantitative research methods can be applied to psychodynamic counselling? How do you use routine outcome measures in your clinical work? Develop a research mindset in your approach to work. Study the key texts that illuminate the possibilities and complexities of psychodynamic practice research.

Want to develop your abilities as a psychodynamic practitioner on placement? Keen to implement your learning in practice? Work with approximately three clients per week and receive weekly supervision. Build a detailed case study on your placement to show how you have developed your professional identity and counselling skills.

Broaden and deepen your insight into further issues facing clients and learn how to apply your increasing theoretical insight to your clinical work on placement. Consolidate your growing identity as a practitioner.

Want to further develop your abilities as a psychodynamic practitioner on placement? Keen to implement your learning in more advanced practice? Work with approximately three clients per week and receive weekly supervision. Reflect on your own development as a practitioner and hone your clinical skills.

Want to broaden your knowledge of the range of interventions available? Keen to understand how psychodynamic thinking fits within a spectrum of potential approaches? Examine applications of psychodynamic thinking in family, group and shorter-term work. Explore other orientations in work with clients. Analyse the issues that inform choice of treatment.

What interests you? Undertake in-depth research on an aspect of your clinical practice on placement that has fascinated you. Receive supervision from our expert staff, while building strong theoretical and clinical knowledge of your chosen topic.

What interests you? Undertake in-depth research on an aspect of your clinical practice on placement that has fascinated you. Receive supervision from our expert staff, while building strong theoretical and clinical knowledge of your chosen topic.

Fees and funding

Home/EU fee

£4,750

As part of your course, you’re required to be in personal therapy on a weekly basis and receive supervision. You’ll be required to pay for this and find your own therapist. The average cost per weekly session is £40-70 per hour.

International fee

£8,950

As part of your course, you’re required to be in personal therapy on a weekly basis and receive supervision. You’ll be required to pay for this and find your own therapist. The average cost per weekly session is £40-70 per hour.

Fees will increase for each academic year of study.

What's next

Open Days

We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation

find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more

meet our students and staff

If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

Applying

We aim to respond to applications within two weeks. If we are able to offer you a place, you will be contacted via email.

For information on our deadline to apply for this course, please see our ‘how to apply’ information.

Visit Colchester Campus

Home to 15,000 students from more than 130 countries, our Colchester Campus is the largest of our three sites, making us one of the most internationally diverse campuses on the planet - we like to think of ourselves as the world in one place.

Virtual tours

If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

Exhibitions

Our staff travel the world to speak to people about the courses on offer at Essex. Take a look at our list of exhibition dates to see if we’ll be near you in the future.

At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications.

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